The Optical Transport Network (OTN), defined in inter alia ITU G.709/Y.1331 (December 2009) “Interfaces for the Optical Transport Network (OTN),” the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference, allows network operators to converge networks through seamless transport of the numerous types of legacy protocols while providing the flexibility required to support future client protocols. In OTN networks, protection occurs by switching Low Order Optical channel Data Unit (ODU) entities. Conventionally, linear protection in OTN, e.g. as defined in recommendation ITU-T G.873.1 (July 2011) “Optical Transport network—Linear protection,” the contents of which are herein incorporated by, requires a user to change switch criteria based on ODU connection state, either a Low Order (LO) ODUk cross connection or a High Order (HO) ODUk termination with LO ODUj cross connections. The LO ODUk connection may utilize either the subnetwork connection protection with inherent monitoring (SNC/I) Optical channel Transport Unit-k Section Monitoring (OTUk-SM) layer, the subnetwork connection protection with non intrusive monitoring (SNC/N) ODUk-Path Monitoring (PM), or the subnetwork connection protection with sublayer monitoring (SNC/S) ODUk-Tandem Connection Monitoring (TCMi) layer termination for switch criteria. However, the HO ODUk termination with LO ODUj cross connections may only utilize the Compound link based SNC group protection with inherent monitoring (CL-SNCG/I) ODUk-PM layer for switch criteria. This prevents the use of a common ODUk-TCMi layer switch criteria between HO ODUk and LO ODUk provisioning. The provisioning state of the ODUk, LO versus HO, limits the ODUk protection switch criteria available to the user and prevents a generic OTN Port Protection application.